How Mark Cuban almost drafted Giannis Antetokounmpo to play with Dirk Nowitzki

“That was the year we tried to get cap room for Dwight Howard. And to get cap room for Dwight Howard, we had to trade down a couple of times, and some of our scouts and GM wanted to pick Giannis. And I was like, “I can’t do that to Dirk. We got a plan,” remarked the businessman.

Landing 2013 Dwight Howard alongside Dirk Nowitzki in the Dallas frontcourt would have created a two-headed monster, that would let Nowitzki focus more on scoring.

To make it work, the Mavericks needed to free up salary cap space. That meant not only moving veteran players but also trading down from the No. 13 pick to remove the $1.6 million cap hold tied to that lottery selection.

Giannis Antetokounmpo could’ve been in the West

At the time, Mavericks GM Don Nelson was eager to draft Giannis Antetokounmpo at No. 13, but Mark Cuban stepped in and changed course. Dallas ended up missing out on Giannis, selecting Kelly Olynyk, who went to the Celtics, while also acquiring Lucas Nogueira and two second-round picks. The team later dealt Nogueira and Mike Muscala for Shane Larkin. Cuban added that the lack of thorough scouting reports made the decision even tougher.

“All we had literally in our war room were two VHS cassettes of Giannis. That was it. Because he played in this B-League in Greece. There was no other video. You want me to give up on getting Dwight Howard? And I said ‘no’ and it turned out another bad decision,” Cuban continued.

Cuban’s setbacks doubled when Dwight Howard opted to join the Houston Rockets and Giannis Antetokounmpo went 15th overall to the Milwaukee Bucks.

A lineup featuring Giannis and Dirk would have been captivating. Unfortunately, the immediate support Cuban promised Dirk never came together.